LOOSE PARTS and JUNK PLAY provides opportunities to experiment with open-ended materials and encourages creativity and imagination. New skills in planning, communication and problem solving are developed - and because there is no prescribed way to use the parts, the tamariki make the decisions.
When you look at the photos of our learners involved in loose parts play what do you see?
We see:
- creativity and curiosity,
- problem solving,
- risk taking,
- complex verbal and nonverbal communication including negotiation,
- opportunities to strengthen social skills,
- cooperation and leadership,
- opportunities to practice emotional regulation,
- opportunities to innovate and invent,
- mathematics, physics and engineering.
"Nothing gives children a greater sense of power than being in control of the materials they're using. Because loose parts are open-ended, children can make choices and decisions about how to use them - and learning to choose well is part of social-emotional development."
Lisa Daly & Miriam Beloglovsky
